April 1, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES Release Wine Picks: Easter Feasts

Here are my top wine picks from the April 1, 2023 LCBO VINTAGES New Release Collection, and annual Easter release which focuses on Perfect Old World and New World Wine Pairings for Easter Feasts. Although it is once again a small-ish release, there are many highly quality wines worth getting your hands on, while the sub-$20 category is fading to memory.

We'll begin with the theme on food & wine pairings centered around New World vs. Old World Wines for Easter Feasts. In all there are twenty wines featured across the six pairings and seven wines that are recommended buys. For pairing with appetizers, try the Pinot Grigio from Südtirol - Alto Adige or the sparkling brut rosé sparkling wine from South Africa that is crafted with 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay. For pairing with Prime Rib or Lamb Breast, you'll want a big, high tannin red such as the Cabernet Sauvignon from Paraje Altamira in Argentina. To pair wine with a Turkey Dinner, try New World wines such as the Pinot Noir from Chile or the Chardonnay from Twenty Mile Bench in Niagara. With Baked Ham, try the medium-sweet Riesling from Niagara, and to pair with Mushrooms try the Chianti Classico that is made with 90% Sangiovese and 10% Colorino / Canaiolo.

Red wine recommendations from the rest of the release start in Italy with an Amarone that is crafted with 60% Corvina Veronese, 30% Corvinone, and 5% Rondinella / Croatina Veronese, then followed by the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from Tuscany that is a blend of mainly Sangiovese (Prugnolo Gentile), plus Canaiolo and other permitted grape varieties. The only other blend is by Mascota Vineyards in Argentina that consists of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Malbec, and 15% Cabernet Franc. Single varietal wines include a pair of Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Australia, a Garnacha (aka Grenache) from Spain, and a Malbec from Argentina.

Among my white wine picks, all are mono varietal wines and the most unique might be the wine from Greece that is made with Mavrofilero, a clone of Moschofilero. Other white wines include a pair of Chardonnays - one from Argentina and the other from Jordan Village in Niagara, as well as a pair of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc wines. There is also a Chenin Blanc from South Africa and a Grüner Veltliner from Austria.

Enjoy my top wine recommendations from this release! Cheers!

Red Wine:

• CHILENSIS SIGNATURE SERIES PINOT NOIR 2017 - Sustainable, Valle de Casablanca, Chile (#28591) (XD) - $19.95
• MENGUANTE SELECCIÓN GARNACHA 2017 - DOP Cariñena, Spain (#313833) (XD) - $19.95
• SOPHENIA KARMA MALBEC 2020 - Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#28085) (XD) - $21.95
• PENLEY PHOENIX CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2020 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#639575) (XD) - $22.95
• CASTELLO DI RADDA CHIANTI CLASSICO 2019 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#16448) (XD) - $23.95
• MASCOTA UNÁNIME GRAN VINO TINTO 2018 - Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#466938) (XD) - $26.95
• ZAHA TOKO VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2018 - Paraje Altamira, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina (#28080) (XD) - $27.95
• CARPINETO RISERVA VINO NOBILE DI MONTEPULCIANO 2017 - DOCG, Tuscany, Italy (#368910) (XD) - $34.95
• WYNNS COONAWARRA ESTATE BLACK LABEL CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 - Coonawarra, South Australia (#84996) (XD) - $47.95
• PIEROPAN VIGNA GARZON AMARONE DELLA VALPOLICELLA 2016 - Sustainable, DOCG, Veneto, Italy (#16087) (D) - $72.95

White Wine:

• RADFORD DALE VINUM CHENIN BLANC 2021 - Vegan, sustainable, WO Stellenbosch, South Africa (#13338) (XD) - $19.95
• ALLAN SCOTT SAUVIGNON BLANC 2022 - Vegan, sustainable, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#27022) (XD) - $21.95
• KELLEREI BOZEN PINOT GRIGIO 2020 - DOC Südtirol - Alto Adige, Italy (#249466) (XD) - $21.95
• SKOURAS SALTO WILD YEAST MAVROFILERO 2021 - PGI Peloponnese, Greece (#31521) (XD) - $23.95
• STAETE LANDT ANNABEL SAUVIGNON BLANC 2021 - Sustainable, estate grown, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand (#648691) (XD) - $24.95
• LOIMER GRÜNER VELTLINER 2021 - DAC Kamptal, Austria (#142240) (XD) - $24.95
• HIDDEN BENCH ESTATE RIESLING 2019 - VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#183491) (M) - $24.95
  
• EL ENEMIGO CHARDONNAY 2020 - Mendoza, Argentina (#482984) (XD) - $27.95
• LE CLOS JORDANNE JORDAN VILLAGE CHARDONNAY 2020 - VQA Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada (#20455) (XD) - $29.95
• LE CLOS JORDANNE LE GRAND CLOS CHARDONNAY 2020 - VQA Twenty Mile Bench, Niagara Escarpment, Ontario, Canada (#184549) (XD) - $49.95

Sparkling Wine:

• L'ORMARINS BRUT ROSÉ CAP CLASSIQUE SPARKLING 2016 - Traditional method, WO Western Cape, South Africa (#28586) (XD) - $25.95